Government schools will have infra on par with corporates: Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy

Ongole: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is giving utmost priority to the holistic growth of children and the development of education in the state, announced the Minister for Energy, Environment, Forests, Science and Technology, Balineni Srinivasa Reddy.

The minister, along with the Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and collector Dr Pola Bhaskara participated in the formal launch of 'Jagananna Vidya Kanuka' programme at the Government Girls High School in Bandlamitta here on Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister alleged that the earlier governments neglected the children and the education field as they didn't have any vote to influence. He said that though the state is in financial crisis, the government is spending a lot of money to modernize the government schools by Nadu- Nedu program and provide financial assistance to the mothers of students through the Amma Vodi program.

He said that about 3.15 lakh students from Class I to X are receiving Jagananna Vidya Kanuka kits worth Rs 45.69 crore in the Prakasam district. He announced that the government is spending Rs 650 crore in the state to provide the Vidya Kanuka kits to the students in the 46220 government schools in the state. MP Srinivasulu Reddy said that the government is not only focussed on the provision of the infrastructure but also on the moulding of the students into good citizens with the help of teachers. As this is a COVID pandemic situation, he said that the government is providing 3 masks also in the kit along with the uniform, socks, shoes, belt, textbooks, notebooks and workbooks.

The collector Dr Bhaskara said that the government has taken a decision to provide infrastructure like good atmosphere, blackboards, desks, drinking water, toilets etc in all schools in three years under the Nadu Nedu program, besides depositing Rs 15000 in the mother's accounts to send their children to schools. Now, the collector announced that the Jagananna Vidya Kanuka kits, worth Rs 1450 each, are being provided to all students from Class I to X in the 3458 schools in the district.

DEO VS Subbarao, Arya Vaisya Corporation chairman Kuppam Prasad, AMC Katari Ramachandra Rao, RJD Ravindranath Reddy, municipal commissioner P Niranjan Reddy and others also participated in the program.